Savannah, Ga., may be best known for its ghostly encounters and Civil War sites, but the South’s most historic city isn’t just defined by those two claims to fame.

In fact, Savannah is growing — and fast — while still holding on to pieces of what’s always made it a classic. The city is a hotbed of conservative and liberal values, blended in a way that somehow works.

Savannah is welcoming to anyone who can appreciate the city for what it is — an ever-changing small town with big ideas. With direct flights on JetBlue from New York, it’s easy to escape for some casual Southern charm.

Hollywood in Savannah

Several Hollywood films have featured parts of the city, so film buffs have plenty to see. The bench that Forrest Gump made famous through sharing his life tales as he waited for the bus in the eponymous film, is now found in the Savannah History Museum.

The Six Pence Pub was made famous by Julia Roberts’ character in the ’90s movie, “Something to Talk About,” while a chapel that was built for “The Last Song,” featuring Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus, is still standing and is now used for weddings.

And the Mercer Williams House, known for the chilling real-life events that inspired the book and movie, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” is still open for tours.

Southern classic

Get creepy at Bonaventure.Casey Jones/VisitSavannah.com

It’s hard to avoid the ghost stories in “America’s most haunted city,” and if you want to venture into the spiritual world, a visit to Bonaventure Cemetery is a must. Upon arrival, the visitors center will provide a walking map, but you’re still likely to get lost on the massive grounds, which can be spooky — but isn’t that the point? Bonaventure is the final resting spot for many notable locals, including Johnny Mercer and Conrad Aiken, but its true celebrity grave is “little Gracie,” who has a creepy lifelike statue and is said to haunt the grounds.

Meanwhile, Civil War buffs should make their way to the home Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman used as his Civil War headquarters on his March to the Sea in 1864. Know as the Green-Meldrim House, it’s where the general penned his famous letter to President Lincoln that presented him with the ultimate Christmas gift, the city of Savannah. If around on a Sunday and looking for a house of worship, pop into the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist for Catholic services or to the Episcopalian Christ Church that dates to 1733. The city even features Congregation Mickve Israel, the only neo-Gothic-style synagogue in the country — an iconic architectural feat.

Follow them with classic Savannah dishes, like fried chicken and shrimp and grits, for lunch at the Olde Pink House on Reynolds Square. The building was once a bank, as well as the governor’s mansion, and now it lures foodie fans from literally across the globe.

Urban quirks

Savannah is a city of quirks — how else to describe a place with 22 iconic squares. Each has its own unique personality, all laid out in a grid-like pattern throughout Savannah’s Historic District, close to Forsyth Park. It’s easy to walk from square to square, appreciating the history and stories each one tells. And hanging above them all are, perhaps, the city’s truest icons — webs of beautiful Spanish moss, which hang from the live oaks that cover the city and further add to its mystery and atmosphere.

For a one-of-a-kind experience, visit Club One, where there’s a nightly drag show. It was formerly headlined by Lady Chablis, the drag queen who famously appeared in the film, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” and who performed each month until her death in 2016. The show continues to go on, and is a legendary and historic site in its own right.

Pirates are also somewhat of a Savannah specialty, with the annual Tybee Island Pirate Festival, Savannah’s Pirates’ House restaurant and hundreds of years of pirate lore. And one final tip, if you’re in a bar or restaurant and can’t finish your drink, ask for a to-go cup — Savannah’s Historic District has some seriously and refreshingly lenient liquor laws.

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